The CAD handover checklist for a product launch

The file opens. The geometry looks clean. Then someone notices the connector belongs to the previous product revision.

A useful CAD handover does more than transfer geometry. It tells the CGI team which product is being shown, how its parts relate and where the source is incomplete. The safest handover includes a named revision, an assembly reference, finish information, a list of unresolved details and someone authorised to confirm the product.

Put the revision in writing.

Use one manifest for the supplied files. Include the product name, variant, revision, export date, units and the person who supplied them. Give the studio an unambiguous statement of which revision is approved for visual production.

Avoid relying on “latest” in a filename. It describes a moment, not an identity. If the design changes after handover, issue a new revision with a short change list.

For a launch film, the important question is whether the change affects anything visible or anything the film explains. A hidden fixing may have no effect on a beauty shot but matter in an exploded sequence.

Send the assembly, not just the parts.

A folder of components does not always explain how they fit together. Supply an assembly reference and identify moving parts, concealed parts and anything that must remain aligned.

Confirm units and orientation. A model that appears plausible at the wrong scale can cause problems later with camera choices, texture scale and environmental context.

Our CAD-to-CGI guide explains the production handover. The checklist below is intended to sit beside the files.

Scroll sideways to read every column.

Describe the surface as carefully as the shape.

CAD can define the enclosure without describing its appearance under light. “Black plastic” leaves a lot unresolved. Is it textured or smooth? Soft-touch or hard? Is the finish consistent across the body and controls?

Supply photographs that show the surface at more than one angle. A broad reflection helps reveal roughness. A close-up helps show texture scale. Where a sample is available, agree how it will be used for comparison.

A specified colour reference supports the discussion, but an on-screen appearance also depends on material, lighting and display conditions. Do not expect one flat swatch to describe a coated metal surface.

The Khronos overview of physically based materials explains why colour, roughness and other material properties are separate inputs. It is a useful technical reference, rather than a promise that exchanging a file will preserve every look exactly.

Make missing information visible.

Use three states: confirmed, provisional and absent. A missing port cover is different from a deliberately simplified internal assembly. Both need to be recorded.

For each provisional item, say which shots depend on it. This lets the studio continue work that is genuinely independent while holding the affected view.

An example: the product silhouette is approved, but the control graphics are still changing. Wide lighting studies may proceed. A close-up of those controls needs an agreed temporary treatment or should wait.

Do not substitute a plausible component simply because it fills the gap. Product truth depends on source evidence and the right review.

Check the neutral model before the cinematic frame.

Ask to review geometry without dramatic lighting or depth of field hiding the details. Check the silhouette, proportions, assembly, labels and mechanism. Then move to material and lighting approval.

A technically reviewed model supports an accurate representation of the supplied design. It does not certify the manufactured product or replace engineering validation. Our product truth guide sets out that boundary.

If your launch depends on explaining an internal mechanism, technical CGI should begin with this handover. Start a conversation with the file manifest and the unresolved decisions, before sending confidential CAD through an unagreed route.

See a project built from evolving CAD.

The Petalite charging-system project used evolving CAD to explain a product before manufacture, including its modular system and cable motion. The public case study shows the visual work. For your handover, the equivalent starting point is the approved revision and a clear list of what remains provisional.